Defected Syrian General Manaf Tlass & Turkish Foreign Minister Davutoglu, 26 July 2012The Arab uprisings have complicated Turkey’s approach to the Middle East. Both long before and after the dynamic events of the last 18 months began, Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan’s AKP was looked at as a model to emulate by many in the Middle East and the non-Arab world.Buoyed by strong poll numbers, a growing economy, and a record of democratic reform, there was a consensus that Erdogan himself would be the face of a new democratic Middle East. For now, the prime minister seems to enjoy playing the role of regional demagogue promising great things and standing up to Israel. But can it last? Or will fundamental antagonisms lead to tension between Turkey and the region in the future?

FBI's Robert Mueller & President HadiThough Yemen's internal politics have changed dramatically since January 2011, U.S. strategy there has remained single-mindedly focused on eradicating Al Qa'eda in the Arabian Peninsula. Democracy promotion, and the hopes of millions of Yemenis who supported the revolution, do not appear to be among the Obama Administration's concerns in the country.

2116 GMT: We close the live-blog with this video, night protests in Deir Ez Zor, where tanks have occupied the city since sunday. We'll collect any developments and deliver them tomorrow morning. Thanks for tuning in:

2043 GMT: Night protests in another important neighborhood of Damascus, Ileum:

2215: A resident of Daraa in southern Syria says, after a day in which 15 people were killed by security forces:"The city is empty, only the army is in the street. Tomorrow we will be more and more in the streets."

Anti-regime tribesmen took over control of the 115th Infantry Division after its commander, Brigadier Abdurabu Hussein, refused to hand over the division to Brigadier Ali Haidara al-Henshi, appointed by President Ali Abdullah Saleh as a replacement.

An official with a non-government organisation said, "Strategic military positions in the governorate are now controlled by anti-government tribesmen and Houthi gunmen. About 20 troops and Houthi gunmen were killed in the latter's attack on the contingent."

2145 GMT: Video from Zintan in northwest Libya, as opposition fighters celebrate atop the regime's tanks and military vehicles. Soon after the filming, the cameraman was killed in the fighting:

By 2011, the six monarchies of the Gulf Cooperation Council states, central to the international economy with massive oil and gas deposits and lucrative consumer markets, had rebounded from the global financial crisis, thanks in part to strong oil prices. The threat from extremist Islamic and terrorist organizations had largely ebbed while longstanding security ties with Washington appeared to shield the states against Iran and other external threats. Many Gulf governments had adopted a strong presence online, and both Dubai and Qatar were global leaders in delivering e-government to their citizens.

However, only weeks after the start of Tunisia’s revolution, monarchs from Kuwait to Oman face the most serious challenge to their authority in half a century.

What is notable here is the divergence between the analysis of the Saudi and Iranian threats to Iraq and the recommendations for the way forward.

Proposed US action on the Saudis is limited to "keeping up the pressure on Egypt and Saudi Arabia in particular to return their Ambassadors [to Baghdad]" and general invocation to "caution Iraq's Arab neighbors against efforts to inflame Shia-Sunni anxieties through their support for Sunni parties and by Shia-critical media attacks".

In contrast, Tehran retains its special place as Number One Adversary, its presence used to link Iraq with others in the area in an American partnership: "We will need to flesh out ideas for a post-GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] security architecture that includes Iraq more fully, develops ways to contain Iranian regional influence, and shapes the special position Iraq will likely occupy in the Gulf in ways that further our interests and those of our Gulf partners."